Traceability and labelling of GMOs (codecision, 2nd reading)

Strasbourg, 02 Jul 2003

Antonios TRAKATELLIS (EPP-ED, GR)

Report on the Council common position for adopting a European Parliament and Council regulation on traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and the traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC (15798/1/2002 - C5-0131/2003 - 2001/0180(COD))

Doc.: A5-0204/2003 [may not be available yet]

Procedure: Codecision (2nd reading)

Debate: 01.07.2007

Vote: 02.07.2003

Parliament adopted a draft legislative resolution on the traceability and labelling of GMOs and the traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EC

With the Council's common position having accepted half Parliament's first-reading amendments entirely or in part, the committee wants to tighten up the traceability requirements only moderately. MEPs are opposed to the Council's wish to allow precise descriptions of mixtures of GMOs in a single product to be replaced by a "declaration of use" by the operator. Pre-packaged products produced from GMOs should, say MEPs in the committee, be described as such, using the words "This product is produced from GMOs" on the label and also as part of any display or advertising.

The House also agreed that in order to support the Member States in meeting the requirements the Commission will create a central register at Community level, which will contain all available sequencing information and reference material for GMOs authorised to be put into circulation in the Community. The competent authorities in the Member States shall have access to the register. The register will also contain, where available, relevant information concerning GMOs not authorised in the European Union.

N.B The adoption of these regulations does not result in an automatic lifting of the moratorium that certain Member States (not the EU as a whole) practice in the field of allowing new GMOs to enter their markets, however it does politically facilitate the lifting of the moratorium.

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European Parliament Daily Notebook 0702